Avril Lavigne is back, and as usual, it's complicated.
When Lavigne hit big with 2002 debut Let Go, the world knew her as the teen pop star with a mall-punk ethos. Here was a TRL staple who unleashed her air-raid siren soprano over crunchy electric guitars, rocked a necktie over a tank top, and shredded at least as well as the "Sk8er Boi" in her monster hit. Her persona was undoubtedly smart marketing...

In The Number Ones, I'm reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart's beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present.
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Neil Young - "Heart Of Gold"
HIT #1: March 18, 1972
STAYED AT #1: 1 week
Someday in the long-distant future, when this column is all caught up with the Hot 100, I might have to write a similar column about the list...

Weezer have released two new songs, "High As A Kite" and "Living In LA," that'll appear on their forthcoming The Black Album, which is due out next week. Last fall, they released two singles from it -- "Can't Knock The Hustle" and "Zombie Bastards" -- but took a break in the rollout to put out a surprise covers album known as The Teal Album.
The two songs were produced by TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek,...

Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger provided us with some of the juiciest, most unexpected beef of 2017 when he dissed former Roadrunner Records labelmates Slipknot: “How good can your music be if you’ve gotta beat each other up onstage, throw up in your own mask every night?” In response, Slipknot singer Corey Taylor said that Kroeger has “a face like a foot” and that Nickelback “is to rock...

We’ve Got A File On You is a new reboot of an old-school Stereogum franchise. Once called Annotated Media Guide, these are interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.
When an artist gets 40 years in, chances are they've settled into a groove. They have figured out what works...

I've probably listened to Vampire Weekend's Father Of The Bride lead single "Harmony Hall" more than every other song released in 2019 so far put together. For reasons detailed here, I absolutely love "Harmony Hall." Can't get enough of it. Lately, when I'm not sure what I want to listen to, I always seem to gravitate back to Ezra Koenig's grand reintroduction. I basically have been mainlining this...

There's an old joke about a lost-dog poster: "LOST: Male dog. One eye. Mangled ear. Paralyzed hind leg. Crooked tail. Answers to the name 'Lucky.'" The Chicago rapper Lucki, formerly Lucky Eck$, was not joking when he settled on his rap name. Lucki's rap name is his real name; he was born Lucki Camel, Jr. But if you spend enough time listening to Lucki's music, you'll hear that stark irony returning....

The Lonely Island had their first proper concerts last year, and the comedy trio are building on that momentum with their first-ever tour, which will take place after their already-announced Bonnaroo set in June. The dates will take them to some major East Coast cities and then out to the Midwest. Tickets for the tour go on sale 3/1 at 10AM local time.
Lonely Island's debut album, Incredibad, recently...

Interviews

We’ve Got A File On You is a new reboot of an old-school Stereogum franchise. Once called Annotated Media Guide, these are interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.

Mercury Rev had a pretty good 2018, mostly because they had a great 1998. Though the band hadn’t released any music in a couple of years, in 2018 they became the beneficiaries of a free promotional campaign, thanks to the 20-year nostalgia cycle that inevitably spawnsthink piecesand retrospectivelisticles. And no…

When Noah Lennox began writing his new solo album, Buoys, he started with just a guitar. Though previous Panda Bear albums have emerged this way, they’ve resulted in increasingly widescreen visions such as 2011’s Tomboy and the euphoric glow of 2015’s Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper. But Buoys feels different because its skeletal framework…

Playing minimal metal at maximum volume, sound wave masseurs Sunn O))) are now entering their 21st year as the ne plus ultra of suffocating drone. Still searching for the most accurate representation of their famed, body-vibrating live performances, their upcoming eighth album — Life Metal, due in April — was recorded to tape with famed…

Jon Simmons admits he’s trying to be more direct in 2019, but it doesn’t come naturally. The Balance And Composure frontman carefully admits to the one criticism he’s taken to heart over the years — that his lyrics can run a bit vague compared to the stylish, slegdehammer alt-rock of his band.

Kim Gordon has long been one of our most intimidating rock stars. From her work with the legendary Sonic Youth to her side gig Free Kitten and current project Body/Head, she’s always been able to wield harsh noise, anti-patriarchal vitriol, and rock star cool with ease. But even though she can summon the feedback to…

There’s been something happening in Dublin. Across 2014 and 2015, a group called Girl Band started to generate international buzz thanks to their idiosyncratic blend of noise-rock, post-punk, and techno-inspired rhythms. Here was a new sound, one nobody associated with a specific generation or scene in Ireland. Girl Band then went silent for several years,…

We’ve Got A File On You is a new reboot of an old-school Stereogum franchise. Once called Annotated Media Guide, these are interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.

Chris Simpson doesn’t think he’s ever met a casual Mineral fan, but the potential for millions of them briefly existed in the minds of people like Sylvia Rhone, Jimmy Iovine, and Clive Davis. Even your parents can probably name the careers shepherded by these legendary A&Rs: Santana, Bruce Springsteen, 2Pac, Eminem, Billy Joel, Aerosmith, Metallica,…

Sasami Ashworth is determined to make it. In a sense, she already has. She’s scored short films and commercials, taught in an elementary school, and collaborated in the studio with artists like Vagabon, Hand Habits, and Wild Nothing. And for two-and-a-half years she was a member of Cherry Glazerr, playing the synths that leveled out…

Wayne Coyne is always busy. Whether working on official albums or a smattering of side projects, the Flaming Lips — the band he’s now been a part of for 35 years — never seem to stop moving. “With us, it’s always like five things at one time,” he says from his home in Oklahoma City,…

Phoebe Bridgers won a lot of people over quickly. Amidst releasing her debut Stranger In The Alps last year, she immediately made her presence known: A gifted singer-songwriter often diving into confessional, melancholic depths while maintaining a sometimes-dry, sometimes-quirky sense of humor online and elsewhere. She was gifted, and she was interesting. We wound up…